The Cure That Truly Haunts
by inukag2000
Summary: Haku remembers-Chihiro remembers- Haku doesn't think she remembers anything that happened in the spirit world. Plus, he is getting wisdom from just about everyone. And what is this cure that Kamajii speaks of? Please Review! I love getting them!
1. Preface

The Cure That Truly Haunts

Preface

*For the record I do not own anything of Spirited Away

The wood beneath the soles of my feet was rough and firm, yet it creaked with its' increasing age. I sped forward not minding in the least. The train passing below the bridge also made its' classic whistle, filled with vibrations that transcended to even the likes of my ears. Yet I paid not much notice to it.

I finally reached to the other side of the deep chasm that was consumed by water and train tracks. In a way, I felt that I was in my element but far from my source in the human world – my river. My legs stopped me from running still. I saw that the Bathhouse's employees and even Yubaba herself with her sour and shocked demeanor, all entering the building to go back to sleep, finishing a quiet chaos. They were all exhausted with happiness as they celebrated Chihiro's release (well except the witch).

My friend Chihiro had finally escaped Yubaba's evil contract and returned home to her universe – where she belonged; along with her name, her parents, and with her life. And one day she will forget. She will forget her experiences and the promise that I had made to her. If she had been able to remember, I would have kept to my word. But now she is gone from our world, never to return. I had to remain strong for her, even if she couldn't remember me. However, I had to do the one thing that I told Chihiro not to do – look back.

As I turned the other way glancing at all of the food stands down the road, a figure reached out and grasped my shoulder. A tear slipped out of my eye and landed on the ground as six arms engulfed me in a hug. His fingers were gangly, all sixty of them. They prickled my skin. Kamajii, the boiler man, chuckled a little as I attempted to struggle out of the embrace. His grip was a little tight. Once he let go of me, I stumbled a little. Glaring up at him, I saw that his eyes were full of sadness, yet his sudden laughter contained joy. To say the least I was perplexed.

"Kamajii?" I asked, as another tear shot at the corner of my eye. I didn't understand why I was crying even. Then his strange laughter ceased to becoming a second chuckle. The man's face gazed down upon my own. I had never seen him in this much sunlight before. All I've ever really known was that he would be down in the boiler room working on providing hot water to the guests.

The daylight really made me notice how his face was matured, but hardly any wrinkles plagued his body. What I believed truly developed his age were the eyes behind those dark glasses of his. They were more transparent given that we were not in some dark room at the bottom of the bath house. They held a sort of wisdom. Then he ruffled my straight hair, causing me to smile a bit. But I stared up at him in silence.

Kamajii's deep voice only told me one thing.

"Oh, Haku", his whisper was barely audible, "even though Yubaba's curse is gone from your body and the Golden Seal was returned to her sister, it is the cure for both of the two that will come back to haunt you."

As he walked back to the Bathhouse, no doubt going back to sleep, I shouted to him asking him to wait and explain it to me. I couldn't understand what he had meant. It made me frustrated. My hands balled at my sides as I was trying to keep calm. By that time he already left.

I then sauntered inside as well, having decided to give up on Kamajii's words and chosen to travel to the top floor in the hopes that my contract with Yubaba will too disappear – now that I know my full name.


	2. Chapter 1

The Cure That Truly Haunts

Chapter One

*For the record I do not own anything of Spirited Away

When I finally made it up to the top level that led to Yubaba's office, her door knocker answered rudely as I grasped onto it. "Well, come in you idiot dragon." The series of doors unlocked as each room created a single-destined hallway. As I was approaching, I quickly came across what was really on the walls of each space. The walls were painted with bright colors, golden trimmings practically everywhere. Furniture was not placed in these rooms seeing as how the only reason why anyone would come here was to go to her desk. Also, some of the walls were made of mirrors- I guessed that my so called "boss" loved to stare at herself very often. I supposed that because I was under her influence that these areas did not faze me. And, in my opinion, it was a little too ornate for my liking.

Next thing I knew, I found myself standing before Yubaba who was trembling slightly. Chihiro left less than an hour ago, but having her gone really screwed Yubaba up. She was cradling her giant head in her hands, shaking her head back and forth. Her attention wasn't directed at me, though, as she continued to stare at her pile of papers. I chose to keep my mouth shut until she spoke. Even though I was going to quit, it was still her house. She decides when to talk. Her surprisingly calm attitude in front of me lasted about five minutes or so. I started to feel the flames in the fireplace grow bigger as the heat intensified. A drop of sweat graced down my cheek as I was patient, not knowing how long it would last. I heaved a big breath.

It was then that to my left that one of her cigarettes was floating towards her. Once it landed in her right hand, she lit it up and placed it in her mouth. Blowing out puffs of smoke from her mouth and nose, it permeated the room, generating a putrid odor that burned my nostrils. But my face remained stolid, still fully aware that she had no idea that I remembered my true name. She did not look up at me. Moving aside the stack of papers, she opened her drawer and pulled out a crisp, white form that was tied with a teal ribbon. My eyes narrowed. There was a yellow, faint glow to it as Yubaba held onto it. What surrounded the parchment was a spell. What was she planning?

Unexpectedly, she cackled loudly throughout, her glare now focused at me. The cigarette was still in her mouth, hanging by the corner. At the tip, bits of ash cascaded onto her lap, then going to the floor as she stood, her chair slowly squeaking the floors. Walking toward me and circling my motionless body, her pitch was cavernously low with evil. "Haku, Haku, Haku", she went on. I stared straight ahead, still trying to control myself. Stopping in front of me, Yubaba waved the white paper in my face. "Do you know what this is?"

I knew that it couldn't be Chihiro's contract because that blew to dust. And I was pretty sure that it wasn't just another random contract of an employee's. My green irises cut down to slits as I watched the ribbon back and forth, its brilliant color reflecting a sunset-like image from the fireplace being behind it. It reminded me of water, therefore I knew. "It is my contract isn't it?"

Turning away from me and back to her desk, Yubaba answered. "Why yes it is, isn't it?" She continued. "And I don't suppose that the reason why you came up here was for me to release you of your contract as well." I stayed silent. The witch grew with anticipation that I would be furious that she put a spell on my contract, and I was. However I had to come on top of her- and this long lasting silence was key to my freedom. Then her anticipation transformed into anger as the blaze shot out from the fireplace and her eyes dilated.

"Well, aren't you going to say anything?" she screeched.

I spoke. "What do you want me to say?"

Her hair started to entangle me, just like it did in Boh's room when she found out that she had lost her son who was on his way to see Zeniba. She growled. "There is no way you and that little girl could have come down from the sky that perfectly in your human form! If you had no idea what your name was, then you would have been a stupid dragon with her on your back! So you must know your true name now. I don't care how you figured it out. Just tell me your name." Her hair pulled me and her closer, just a couple inches apart, her smoked breath covering my face.

I again quickly turned my attention to the spell-bounded contract. Glowing still, I realized that even if I do speak of my real name, there was still a consequence to it. Most likely, I would still be Yubaba's apprentice. So there was no point in not allowing a answer.

"My name is the Kohaku River." And yet, the contract still glowed. The spell did not break, the paper didn't blow into bits the way Chihiro's had. I was still under Yubaba's orders.

The witch stepped aside and released my body, laying the contract on her desk. Striding over to the heated chimney, her tone grew solemn all of a sudden. And the oddest thing was that the words that left her lips were real. There was no accent of a heinous attitude at all. Sounding more like her sister, Yubaba sighed. "I'm sorry, but it didn't break your contract." I crossed the room and stood next to her on her right, asking why she was feeling any sign of sadness. She never liked me in the first place. What brought this on?

"You see, Haku, even though you have been my apprentice for the past few years, I wasn't the person that your under contract with. I don't own your name."

I shook out of my tranquil stupor turned to her. "What? Are the other workers under this as well? What about Chihiro's contract?" I was angry. I will not deny it. The dark green bangs of mine covered part of my vision. My hand swept them to the side and I crossed my arms. I may have been a little more emotional than how I normally handle myself, but I felt that I could take her on should she decide to attack.

"Kohaku, let me explain."

"Alright, then tell me the truth."

She limped over to her chair and took a seat in a black wooden rocker. With a wave of her vein-protruding hand, a red fabric chair scooted by her side. Yubaba gestured me to sit. Complying with her silent request, I sat across from her. "Would you like something to drink?" I could tell that she was putting off the subject.

"No, I want only the truth. Tell me now, Yubaba."


	3. Chapter 2

The Cure That Truly Haunts

Chapter Two

*For the record I do not own anything of Spirited Away

I never ordered her to do anything that she would actually do. But the way she stared at me, she appeared to be nervous and timid. Then she sighed and pulled out something to drink, probably her favorite herbal tea. Her voice grew raspy as she started her tale.

"Well, once I brought this bath house to business, things were going well. New workers were coming in, desperately wanting to be paid. And I was glad to hire them. Keep in mind that this was way long before you came here." I nodded.

"Then one day, a spirit very similar to No-face became one of our guests. I was young and actually naïve then, so I let him stay. For some reason, we became good friends. So I offered him a job. I put a lot of trust into him. He was so kind and considerate of the customers that I made the suggestion that we become co-owners."

"He gladly accepted the offer. And life went on for a couple of years with no problems. Then suddenly, I met this one man, with whom I had a relationship with. So, shortly after that the relationship ended. But I became pregnant with Boh. So I had to tell my friend about it, telling him that we needed to cut everyone's wages, even ours. He grew furious about the situation and stormed out of this very office. "

She was starting to have a difficult time with this. So I put my hand on her shoulder for support. Normally, I would never do this. But seeing as how we both are being honest, I figured it was best.

"The next day, I woke up to a terrible cold, and stumbled out of bed. I went to find him and apologize, but I ran into Zeniba. She was visiting and I told her about the pregnancy. She congratulated me and asked me about who I was with. I came out with it that I was still single and it was a brief relationship. She too became mad at me and smacked me in the face. She kept calling me stupid and how I wasn't a responsible woman. Then she left."

"I sneezed a few times as I tried to continue to find him. But I noticed that nobody was working at that time in the night. I checked every room, but nobody was there. Then I checked the vault, where we kept our savings and everyone's checks. But all the money was gone. My workers were gone. I ran out onto the balcony and flew into the air, seeing if I could find him, my employees, or the person who took my money. "

"He was treading along the train tracks, looking a lot heavier than usual. And he had heavy sacks that were filled to the brink."

I answered for her. "He took everything and ate everyone didn't he?"

"Yes." Yubaba became annoyed, not at me, but the next part in her story.

"I returned to bathhouse, knowing that I couldn't fight in my condition with a cold and a pregnancy. I let him take everything. And I closed down the bathhouse throughout my pregnancy. After Boh was born, I took care of him for a couple of years. He became my world. That is why I adore him so much. It isn't that he is just my son, but my only companion in times of loneliness."

Well, that explained one thing.

"With not that much money to rely on, I had to constantly force him to stay in his room because of all the dust and dirt. I didn't want him to get sick and become weak like me. That is where he obviously developed the fear of germs before Chihiro came along." She didn't speak with an ill tone at her name.

"Anyhow, I knew what I needed to do for my son – give him a better life. And the way I thought best was if I made lots of money first. I worked various jobs for several years. Then one night, I was looking at my bathhouse from one of the local food stands that I was employed at. Then a customer, you probably know him as the Spirit of the 'supposedly' Lost Souls, came and chatted with me."

Oh I heard of him alright. At first he was to be the supporter, but then he tricked people into doing his dirty work. It was kind of like what Yubaba did to the rest of us.

"He offered me a job as his apprentice, just like I did with you. And considering the pay was very high, I accepted it immediately without a second thought. Overtime, I was able to provide for Boh and hold down a career. It wasn't the best one, but it was better than the others. Also, my desires for more money caused me to become greedier. Then he got me into another contract. You see, Haku, I didn't notice that his intentions were becoming more malicious. So I started doing his dirty work for him and never realized it. "

"His power is still far in excess of what I have. So when he wanted me to renew my contract, he made me take an oath to anyone who asks for work at the bathhouse. I thought that it would be good for more people to work and I could have my bathhouse back. So I once again accepted. He knew that I worked for money and he gave me more. But in return I had to do one thing when I hired them."

"And that was to take their names." I finished.

"Yes. I was so consumed with greed that I agreed to it right away. And I have been doing that for years now. But ever since Chihiro came these past few days and especially today when she left, that she opened my eyes to what I have been doing."

"But somewhere in the contract it states that any spirit who finds out their true identity cannot have their name back under my permission. It lies under his permission."

She stopped talking and looked at me as I took all of this in. Then I quickly understood one thing that she said.

"You said it was for spirits, not for humans."

"Exactly, so it didn't apply to Chihiro."

I urgently asked her if that meant that Chihiro was underneath Yubaba's control. And she replied yes.

"So that is why she can get out of her contract and I can't."

She smiled grimly at me. "Yes, Haku. That is true. You belong to the Spirit of 'Supposedly' Lost Souls."


	4. Chapter 3

The Cure That Truly Haunts

Chapter Three

*For the record I do not own anything of Spirited Away

_She didn't own me…..She didn't own me…SHE DIDN'T OWN ME! _My inner thoughts shouted.

"So all this time you never had us in your possession, Yubaba? Another spirit had control of not just me, but everyone else like Kamajii and Lin this entire time?" I calmly solicited. My inner sentiments were on the tipping point of being dowsed with a long lasting anger toward her. But I chose to sound relaxed but serious, sort of revealing the distress behind my tone of voice. Yubaba caught onto this and looked down to the series of rugs that were on top of one another. She crossed her feet much like a scared young girl would be if she got in trouble with an adult. "Yes. I know I lied to you all and everyone should have the right to know, but there was a good cause. So, as my former apprentice, I hope that at least you can accept my apology."

I turned away from her, got up out of my chair, and sat down on the floor by the fireplace. The logs were sprinkled into charred rubble as the flares of the reddening embers ascended. My eyelids shut closed, pondering over her regret. Hands lay in my lap as I crossed my legs. This was a lot of information to take in all at once. Yubaba stood up, took her tea, and went over to her desk, working on papers to give me some time to think. She wanted me to forgive her just like that after everything that she put me and the workers through? I saw the fear, sweat, nervousness, rage, and every now and then blood with each employee. If they had known about this, I was pretty sure that they would all have started to attack her themselves without me and my abilities as a river spirit. And they might have caused Yubaba to receive a stronger beating if they knew.

Another bead of sweat and a salty tear fell from my face and onto the stone marble. My gaze softly lifted and stared at the two – perspiration was sweet (sad to say I knew the taste because Yubaba put me into doing various physical tasks in hot weather a long while ago). And I saw that those two forms were like water. They were different, yes, but they were connected seeing as how they were liquids. There was a connection – all spirits were connected with each other regardless of how different each one of them was. So if I didn't forgive Yubaba, how could I forgive myself?

My finger, although hesitantly, reached out and mixed the two forms of water together, eventually rubbing itself dry in my hand as I moved it in a spherical motion. I couldn't forgive myself for a lot of things. One was being far enough not to have realized that my river was completely consumed by construction; the next coming so close to actually hurting Chihiro. Kamajii had told me after I had woken up what had happened to me and Chihiro – completely lost in darkness and covered with blood as I dragged her down from Yubaba's office to the boiler room. I could have killed her. And I was really fortunate that I didn't.

So what was I going to do? Was she really telling me the truth? Should I pardon Yubaba, still considering that she could go back to her old ways? Should I trust her? More importantly, should I forgive myself?

Facing Yubaba's desk, she glanced up in my direction willing for me to forgive her. My knees quaked as I got to my feet, dusting off my white and blue clothing. I looked beyond the woman's head and saw the ancient grandfather clock. It ticked with each passing minute and every second -the only sound that coexisted between the two of us. Unnerving. It must have been at least a half hour since she asked for my forgiveness. Then, I stared at her crinkled expression-her overly done hair, the wart in between her thin gray eyebrows and piercing brown eyes, the small stature she held even with that immense head. And I knew that there was one thing I had to tell her. "Yubaba, I can't forgive you."

She looked away, one tear in her eye. I swore that I had seen enough tears for the day."However, it isn't because I don't believe your story", I reassured her, lifting one of my hands in a non-offensive manner, "It's just that I understand that you are so easily capable of lying to people. So I need to be cautious." Yubaba turned, put her ink pen down, and actually bestowed me an authentic smirk. "Very well, then Haku. I can see where your loyalty lies for now."

"What do you mean?" I asked. She chortled at me, throwing back her head with her eyes closed. Then she smiled once more after her brief moment. With a wave of her finger, the fire turned out and about two lamps in the room came on. The dark red drapes behind her dropped to her ground with a plunk. And I felt my throat run dry all of a sudden.

"I'm not going to change your mind or control your actions any longer. If I still had you as an apprentice I could have made you forgive me. But I didn't. You don't forgive me yet and that is alright." Then it clicked. "I'm not your apprentice anymore?" I was in shock. Never in all my time that I had known her to allow me to be free- well as far as I could get seeing as how I belonged to someone else.

"Of course you are Haku. I told you that you were my former apprentice, didn't I? However, you are still my employee until I can do something about this spell on your contract."I treaded forward. "What about everyone else's contracts? Even if we did manage to get out of this loophole in your contract with the Spirit of Lost Souls, would you still force everyone to work here?" Yubaba gradually took a step back. I thought she was going to retaliate at that. Nonetheless….

"No, I will not force anyone to work here. However, I hope to have come up with reasonable benefits that might convince them to stay. What they will be I don't know yet. I have to consider the positives and the negatives. "I nodded. Yubaba then suggested that I should depart because she needed rest for the following night's work. Deciding that was probably a smart move, I strode over to the door ways, about to leave. Although I had three more questions. "Yubaba?"I requested, before gripping onto the first door knob.

She had already turned off the first lamp and was walking to her bedroom with a book in her hand. "Yes, Haku?"

For some reason I gulped. They were such simple questions and yet they were so hard to ask. But I controlled the nerves in my stomach, one hand behind my back stretching out my fingers one at a time in a repeated movement. My voice, ashamed as I was of it, quivered as I spoke. "What was the cause that you spoke of for not telling the others?" Her back was turned to me. And with a loud yawn, she jadedly relied, "I did it to protect you all from his magic. It is too powerful, Haku, so I advise you not to go anywhere near it. And besides, you already have enough to protect. So be careful."

Protect? Did she mean to protect myself, something else or someone else? Whatever the case, I left it like Kamajii's words. I would ponder over those eventually. Suddenly, she started walking again. "Wait!" I yelled.

"Uh, what is it you want now Haku?" I could tell she wanted to go to bed now.

"I'm sorry, but since I am not your apprentice anymore, what job do you want me to do in the bathhouse?"

"Just do whatever you feel that needs to be done. Try working with Lin now that Chihiro is gone or something like that. She'll be getting the big tub a lot more often in the coming months. So she will probably need help there. NOW GOOD DAY!" She slammed the door, but not too loud to wake up Boh. The walls shook a little, china looking like they would fall off of some shelves, but luckily they didn't.

I snickered as I walked over to her desk, shaking my head side to side. I grinned as I delicately picked up her chilling prized azul topaz pen. I marked down the last question on a scrap piece of paper and left the office, knowing that she would find it in the night. The note sat right underneath the only lit lamp in the room in silence.

It asked her if she wanted me to buy her a new carpet seeing as how it was stained with my dried blood from yesterday.


	5. Chapter 4

The Cure That Truly Haunts

Chapter Four

*For the record I do not own anything of Spirited Away

A few hours after the exchange that I had with Yubaba, I found myself strolling the halls of the bathhouse- the kitchen with its tangs of leftover cooking and notices of the grime that had yet to be wiped off of the counters and dishes, the teeming staff bedrooms that reverberated soft snores and little bits of delusional chattering, and even glancing through all of the baths. The lamps were dimly lit, seeing as how there were rays of transparent sunlight streaming in the room. It casted shadows on each of the inner, smaller walls that gave privacy to the guests and whoever was attending them. I saw that there were mops and brooms, buckets and left over tokens. My feet started to ache after a while, but for some reason I just didn't bother to sit down. Somewhere in the back of my mind, it told me to keep on going. Eventually, I was somehow guided over to the biggest tub at the end of the hall, almost in a trancelike state.

When I finally came to, the area was expanse. The pale yellow walls were decorated with nature's finest land works – simple violet flowers and the heightened bonsai tree- all painted over pinewood. It seemed to flake to the ground, as it was getting discolored and dry. My right hand clutching onto the bamboo lining the entrance, I stood in wonder at how much space the concrete tub made up- almost a third of the space. No wonder why it was called the big tub- the others were a lot less significant by comparison. I took note that it was carved smoothly, thick in its perimeter. As I walked silently toward it, the thumps of my movement being the only sound in the halls, I felt a sudden urge within me – to do something that wasn't like me.

Then, before I could even consider touching the stone, the sunset must have started, because off to the side of me I noticed that there was a bath token glistening not too far. I let my fingers deftly pick it up as I bended over; it was slightly covered in dry mud. It was rough, but even. And it scented of mortality. _Chihiro_. I thought to myself, with a small smile. Painted red and gray with a gap bearing through the top, it was definitely an herbal token. When I stood up straight, my head turned back to the tub with an idea running in my mind.

Pacing my way to the barricade where the token would be sent to Kamajii, I opened the hatchet of wooden boards, settled the token inside and pulled the black cord. It was propelled down to the boiler room. I turned back to scale the side of the washtub, my skin being cooled by the contact. It sort of comforted the temperature – it was nicer than the extreme heat back up in Yubaba's office. My feet slipped a little every now and then, as they were slicked with water from the other baths that I had seen.

Shivers went up and down my spinal column as I thought of doing this. Surely I would get in myself in a tight spot with Yubaba, but for some reason I didn't worry. I conjectured that it was because of my newly-found sense of freedom. Yubaba didn't control me – a swindling spirit did. She told me her personal secrets- and if I were to say them to the staff she would be terrified. The old woman knew I still didn't fully trust her- so what could the harm be in having a little black mail hanging over her head? And besides, I didn't mean to do this to get back at her. Night was almost here, so everyone should have been getting up soon. I could've just said that I wanted to help whoever had the big tub next. She couldn't have any objections to that.

The wooden slide shot out of the wall just as I reached the crown. Before I yanked the rope, I saw all of that sludge and filth in there. It was caked on like a second, clumpy skin. I took in a big gulp of air, and I flavored the muck in the back of my throat. Swallowing of whatever decent air there was, I was about to pull the fibrous rope, feeling its hard texture against my palm.

And then, abruptly, another hand pushed against my back and I toppled to the bottom of the tub, water drenching and splashing all over my body! I must have pulled down the twine when I was thrown in, hair sticking to my face as I made my way up to the surface. My arms thrashed as my legs kicked my upward. It wasn't that hard to swim, seeing as how I was a river spirit, it was no problem. But being in my "human form", water somewhat did fill my lungs. I sputtered out of whatever was inside me when I made it to the top as an arm of one of the weasel spirits hauled me to land. My vision was blurred, trying to make out of whomever it was that just either saved me or made a fool out of me.

Her laughter was the only thing that clued me into realizing who she was- Lin. It felt like everyone was either laughing at me or with me lately. And it was obvious which kind of amusement she had.

Shaking my head side to side, I attempted to have a lucid depiction of her. I was sitting on the side of the bath trying to catch my breath and rubbing my eyes clear while Lin climbed up to the rim and shut down the water. Coughing up the last of the warm soapy fluid, leaving a bitter taste, her laughter quieted down as well. When she came back to the floorboards, her thin legs lowered themselves to my height as she swept away my emerald hair, muttering something incoherent. I guessed that the water also clogged my ears.

"What did you say, Lin?" My words slurred out as I padded my ears into draining, leaning my head this way and that to help.

Her thin eyebrows furrowed at my question. She let out a giant sigh, closing her eyes with a small smile, and then sharply opened them once more, the scowl replacing it.

"What did you think you were doing Haku? You just wasted some of the most expensive bath water! At least when Sen did it she had a good reason, unlike you Dragon Boy!" Her shouts were nothing more than a normal conversation at level, so that the others wouldn't wake up. No wonder why I smelled Chihiro on the token- she must have worked the big tub with Lin while I was gone. She shook my shoulders back and forth promptly, making me rather nauseous. My head was vaguely dizzy, but I held my ground.

"Well, Lin, if you would stop shaking me so much I'll be glad to tell you." I hissed, my dragon side coming out. She pulled me up to standing, and backed off as I was trying to get some equilibrium. Once I had sensed that I could stay upright, shifting my weight, I finally felt a lot better. My voice no longer quivered, I wasn't lightheaded or queasy, and I could actually breathe a lot better. Over all, I was rejuvenated. I turned to the tub, silently showing gratitude toward it. The herbal water must have done some good for my body.

Looking back at Lin, I could see that her hands were at her waist as she tapped her left foot repeatedly. I softened my expression, trying to get her to compose herself for at least a few minutes. She followed suit, hoping that I had a good answer for her. "Just between you and me for now Lin, and into the next few hours or so everyone else will come to know this, but after talking with Yubaba, she let me out of my apprenticeship."

My new co-worker decided to turn away and began to storm out of the room. It instinctively occurred to me that she thought I wasn't under contract anymore. So I fluently went underneath her and stepped in front of the doorway into the hall. She tried to shove me out of the way, but my hands were screwed in place, tough as nails I guessed one could say. My face grew stern again, but I had a lighthearted grin. I held out a hand in a peaceful manner as I leaned over to the side so that she couldn't just dive beneath me. Lin then stopped fighting against my strength and let me speak.

"But…..I am still an employee. I have been relegated to working with all of you. Please, I implore you to not take that offensively. And also, Yubaba did tell me that you would be doing the big tub more in the coming months, maybe because of what you said about whatever Chihiro did. So, if you don't mind Lin, I would be glad to help out whenever you have this apparently enormous and annoying task. I was only trying to help out by filling the tub early just in case if you had to clean it today. And I know you don't like me that much, but please consider it."

Lin stood there in shock, her expression- wide eyes and gaping mouth- basically told it all. Then she strode back to the tub swaying her hips side to side, her long brown as well doing the same thing. I sweated a bit, only because it was awkward of her to behave like this - it was kind of girly for her. Then she started humming, definitely reveling in the fact that I was now her equal and quite possibly her new underdog/dragon seeing as how even with all the work Yubaba put me through, she never once made me do the tubs. I didn't know whether or not Lin knew of this but I never tried asking. The longer she went on not knowing my inexperience, the better it was for me.

Without even looking at my direction, she went over to the opposing wall, picked up a mop, and threw it quickly in my way! I almost had to jump in mid-air just to catch it. My hands tightened around the handle as I looked up at her, questioning what she was doing. The lamps suddenly came on as the last of the sunlight disappeared. The work day was beginning. Lin yelled it out for everyone to hear- staff and guests and all- as they were starting to get up and get ready for work or go to their bathing spot for the day. "Come on Haku, _my new assistant_, we have some cleaning to do. I know I have the big tub today, so I guess that means that you are helping me!" My cheekbones turned dark crimson in embarrassment, little gasps and laughter heard from above my head. They knew.

And I apprehended one thing for sure right then and there- it was going to be a _long_ night.


	6. Chapter 5

The Cure That Truly Haunts

Chapter Five

*For the record I do not own anything of Spirited Away

Pressing onward against my own bodyweight, the mop leisurely towed itself from corner to corner bordering the tub. The backs of my legs throbbed endlessly, my toes being my only balance. My eyes were trained on the strips of timber, trying to focus on my task. People, especially the other employees, were stopping by to see whether or not I was really serious about working in the bathhouse as a regular member of the staff. When I informed them it was correct, they would either uneasily wish me good fortune (because they most likely thought I was still a very staid person) or sneer in my face about how it was so ill-fated that I should have the big tub my initial day. The prattle and shouts of each person; the opening and closing of the elevator doors as they escalated and descended; the whines of the bridges as everyone walked them – each of them gave me a small pain in the head. But I attempted set it aside, praying that breakfast would come soon.

I supposed that it wasn't that awful for a while, except for a single thing. Lin would be polishing the inner surface of the basin and then chucked some of the debris at me to swab up. The gunk kept piling itself at my ankles, rocks and cold slime. I snarled to myself, obviously letting her get to me and she knew I was stressed. The weasel was challenging and relentless, demanding me constantly that I should pick up the pace in case if a spirit suddenly showed up at the bridge of the building. It had to be at its' cleanest. Otherwise, we would have to return here to do it again before long. I sulked in the sudden warmth of the steam and burning lamps that sat atop of the small green walls on the bottom level. This was exhausting. For a second I had wished that I was Yubaba's apprentice again.

It went on like this for about five hours or so, the only time we took was for something to eat about mid-morning. Lin had gone and brought back two bowls of fried rice with some small slices of fruit on the side. She sat next to me, leaning on the wall that faced the bonsai tree and was about half way through with her meal by the time I finished. The fruit was so sweet, some cinnamon layering the miniature red apples and tangerines. The fried rice added to the flavor especially since I never had it before. My stomach hadn't consumed much since I was given medicine from Kamajii and Chihiro forcibly fed me that dumpling that had gone bad. I shuttered at the thought. The blood in my mouth from the ordeal actually tasted better than that.

Before I went back to work, I looked around at the walls again. Except this time I observed that there were sludge marks at the foot of each plank. _What happened the last time a spirit even had this tub? _Glancing at Lin, she set down her empty saucer and chopsticks, eyes tired but calm. Taking mine as well, she placed the dish on top and they twirled in shock of the added gravity on her left side, creating a jingling sound and shimmering specks of reflected light. We both stood up, stretching out our arms over our heads at the same time.

When we realized what had happened, we chuckled slightly as we lowered our arms, looking away from the other. I never had been very friendly toward her since the day we met. It was strange it would be now – and it only took me one demotion in order to do it. Her hair was slicked back to the top of her skull, her hands and arms slightly red from all of the scrubbing. And because all the blood had gone to that area of her body, her feet looked as pale as a sheet of paper. Then she positioned a hand to her head, irises closing as her knees bent and she faltered herself.

I sprinted right over as she just about landed on the ground. My right knee balanced Lin as I urged her to open her eyes so that she could at least sit up. My whispers and slight jerks woke her a minute or two later, brown lenses wide open and she scrambled away from my grasp. She ended back where she was at the beginning. Clam, the frog that jumped in my face and scared Chihiro a few nights ago, hopped in. "Hey, what's going on? You two should get back to work. We have customers coming in." He glazed over Lin, realizing what was going on, and then asked if he could get a drink for her. She shut her eyes again, stared up at the ceiling, weakly nodded. The tiny frog took his departure, yelling out that it shouldn't take long.

I scooted my way over to her and put a hand on her shoulder, a couple new wooden splinters in my leg, however it wasn't as important as the state she was in. Her knees came to her chest as she kicked off her sandals. They practically flew all the way over to the door. Leaning forward and putting one her hands on her head, Lin shook herself side to side. She gathered just enough air to breathe.

"Hey, I'm sorry Haku," her voice quaked with exhaustion, "I just didn't get enough sleep earlier."

My face became curious. It scrunched, and my lips were just about to shape the evident question. She continued though for some time, kind of out of it, but honest none the less. She sounded so feeble, like an illness had caused her to be sick. It made me feel bad; I should have been able to sense it earlier that she wouldn't be at her best of health today. Sweat started to form at her collar bone, even though I couldn't see it. Her pink clothes just sat there in a heap. They were ragged and the blue apron tied at her waist seemed old. I'd have to see if Yubaba would let me give her a fresh pair of work clothes later.

"It is so depressing now that Sen, I mean Chihiro is gone. She really understood me, even at her young age. I mean, I'm happy that she returned home and all, but I guess it won't be the same. And I think you would have really been impressed with her. "

"What do you mean? You said she did something here and I smelled her scent on the bath token I used. Did you guys get the big tub when I wasn't here?" I had to admit; I was interested in what Chihiro went through after I took her to the pig pen to see her parents. I didn't recall seeing her again until I went over to Zeniba's to take her back to the bathhouse, other than the stupid dumpling incident of course. But I didn't technically see her. I just tasted what she shoved down my throat.

Lin looked at me with a genuine smile, which I gladly returned. Her head lifted back up. I hadn't seen her open with me yet. Maybe I should have done it more often. Her tone was still barely unrecognizable, but I heard loud and clear. It was like all other noises disappeared.

"The first day that Chihiro worked for me, we did get the big tub. And, sad to tell you this Haku, but she did a better job as far as keeping up." I laughed quietly to myself. "Anyhow, one of the other workers informed us when we were scrubbing the tub that we had a guest coming. I had told Chihiro to grab an herbal soap token from the foreman. She came back with a decent one, and I taught her how to fill the tub. Then, I left her to go get some breakfast. "

"As it turned out, the guest that showed up at the bath house was a well-known river spirit. But we all thought he was a stink spirit because he smelled so awful that it caused our breakfast to transform into black dust." Now I really felt blameworthy. Chihiro had no idea how bad they could smell – especially if a river spirit was deathly polluted. If I had been there I could have helped out.

"Chihiro was walking the spirit to this tub in here with some muck in her palms. I guessed it was his money. His sludge carried all the way to the room, filling up about a few feet high. It made it difficult for her, but the girl managed to give the guest more water, seeing as how the water also turned to mud when he got in. What surprised me was that she had a basket full of tokens when I returned. Then, Chihiro fell in the tub herself. But the spirit picked her up in his clutch as she spit out the water in her mouth. He lifted her to his side, and I told her that I would help her. I didn't think he was a safe guest. But then she yelled out that there was a thorn in his side."

I couldn't help but continue to pay attention, my gaze transfixed on Lin. If she was telling the truth, it was pretty convincing. Then Clam came back into the room with a goblet of milk in his hand. Lin held out her finger at me and paused as he offered it to her. "There you go, Lin, this should help give your strength a good tune-up. But because I was so concerned, I told the foreman that you were ill. He said that he could get someone else to finish up for you."

Lin sighed and took a sip of the beverage. "Thanks Clam. But let me first finish telling my story to Haku here and then we will go upstairs. It shouldn't take that long. Do you mind helping me out when we are done here, Haku?"

I smiled. "No, I don't mind at all Lin."


	7. Chapter 6

The Cure That Truly Haunts

Chapter Six

*For the record I do not own anything of Spirited Away

* Sorry that there hasn't been much romance yet, but it will come I promise! I probably won't be for a few chapters though I'm warning you.

Clam was about to depart out of the big bath just as Lin smiled and set the chalice of the surplus milk down by the tableware. Him and his miniature frog legs twisted around, his sky blue robe slipping off one shoulder a tad. He saw the pile over by her. "Hey, Lin, I'll take those dishes for you if you don't mind." He absentmindedly tied his purple sash. Looking at him, she responded with an appreciation for his gesture. And pooling the items into his armrest, Clam leapt out of the room. After she was done watching him with a beam, she turned back to me. Her lips drooped open faintly, and stared at the ground with her eyes creased, trying to remember where she had left off in the story.

I too pulled my legs toward my body and leaned back against the wall. I laid my left arm out and let it rest against my knee, its skin firm as well as coarse. My back now supported, I stared upward in a totally relaxed position. The humidity now finally felt respectable, probably because I was latent and not toiling around with a mop and a broom. I could at least understand why spirits always came here for a break. It felt nice. "You left off at the part about Chihiro finding the thorn." My face lowered back down as she went on speaking.

"Oh, yeah, thanks Haku." She coughed her mouth into her elbow. When she concluded with her unplanned fit, she continued. "Well, after Chihiro had found the thorn, Yubaba ordered all of the others to come down here and help us out. I ran up to her to help tug it, but then Yubaba soared near us and fashioned a rope to tie it around the spike. We struggled since we were leaning aloft by a wall of the flowing water, so it was very slick. Nonetheless, we controlled it. By that point everyone else had gathered the lengthy rope in their hands."

This story intrigued me more and more as she told it. Chihiro had done enough for me, and aid Lin in having as an assistant. Now that I knew that she had done this, it was implausible. I didn't think that I could ever in my craziest imaginings do the things that she did. "When all of us were ready," Lin's voice started to get frail again, "Yubaba took out a couple of her fans and ordered us when to pull with all of our strength. Chihiro was in front, pulling at the thorn. As it turned it, it was the handle of a bicycle. Before I knew it, I was stumbling back as all of this garbage flew out all over the place, toppling everyone over. It even knocked Yubaba! "

She and I had a hoot at that. It always seemed impossible that Yubaba could have fallen over, even with that big head of hers. Knowing that it wasn't the case made it even more mirthful. Our laughs lasted about a couple minutes and I could sense that the others were speculating what we were doing. Luckily they decided to go back to their jobs and left us alone. I was eager to hear what happened after that.

"Chihiro surprisingly was able to stay on top of the tub, seeing as how she was right next to the junk. Once it all finally stopped, I stared at all of it in wonder – I mean how does a river spirit get to being that contaminated? Anyhow, the girl pulled the last of a fishing hook out of the spirit. Then a purple gas erupted from the spot and steam rose upwards, making it very murky. Water poured out in waves all over the place. And some seized Chihiro in a mass of water."

"Was she alright though?" I immediately asked. Even I had to admit, it was concerning. Why didn't she tell me about this?

Lin waved her hand at me, trying to calm my anxiety. "Yes, yes. She was ok. I called out to her though as the water overtook the debris. She didn't respond back because of the water. Then the spirit's face must have rose out of it because I heard him say that Chihiro did a great job with him. She was released from the water completely soaked. The vapor cleared away just as the rest of us saw small pieces of gold on these floors."

She extended her right arm and moved it side to side, as a way to explain where it had all been. She looked back at the doorway chuckling softly. "I and some of the employees tried to grab as much as we could of the gold. But we were told to stop since it was company property." She smiled a little at that statement. I didn't understand why though. "Then Yubaba yelled at us to stop because our guest was still here and she told Chihiro to move aside because she was in the spirit's way."

"We were also ordered to make way and open the main gates. The water started to bubble and out came the river spirit in all of its glory! He laughed as he went up, over, and underneath that bridge right there," she and I glanced up at the bridge her finger pointed to, "and then he flew out those doors! All of the guests cheered and Yubaba hugged Chihiro. She said that we made so much money and that everyone should learn from her."

"Really? That's a good story, Lin." I nodded at her, complimenting honestly.

She pounded me on the head, thinking I was sarcastic. There was ringing in my ears and my headache came back. "Ouch, Lin! I was being serious!" My hands rubbed my temples in circles, trying to ease this physical burden.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say Haku. You know that is another thing about that girl." I was staring at the ground with my green eyes closed. I grunted in aggravation. I didn't do anything immoral, so why did I always get squashed, roared at, or pounded up by people? "What are you talking about Lin?" She was changing the topic. And I thought we would go upstairs when she was done telling me what happened. "Never mind. It's nothing. " She sounded poignant.

I reopened my eyelids and frowned at my tone of voice. "I'm sorry, headaches don't do me any justice," I apologized, "What was it you were going to tell me?" The girl to my left started to stand up and leaned against the wall for support with her right hand. It was difficult, but I met her halfway as I helped her to situate herself, my left arm taking place of the wooden boards. We slowly made our way out of the room. And then she whispered, "Chi, Chihiro would ask about you a lot." My eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

Lin didn't say anything as I guided her over to the elevator. It was not easy because we had to weave our way through crowds of the other staff members and the guest spirits, some of them with unease flying in our direction. As we walked the halls, every now and then I would see spirits in their bathes in a good light, helping them feel better. And then I put my attention back on Lin, her sagging form trying to keep up. Honestly, I wished that she could have one of the cleaner bathes to herself so that she would feel better. But first she needed a good sleep. Her arm was wrapped around my shoulder as we limped our way back to her bed. At most, I would have to say that it took about a half hour to make it.

I lightly knocked on the door with my bare hand. And when no one answered, I gently had Lin sit on the ground as I pried open the dark entry. It glided with ease into the side, and I ended up to having to wake her up. She fell asleep as soon as I had let her down to the ground. With my face straight, how most people perceive me, I stared at the sleeping worker. "Lin, Lin, wake up. We are back at your room." I whispered. I collected her in my arms just like the way I held Chihiro when I found her outside the building. She woke to a start, and I swore that if I had been louder, I would've shocked her into either hitting me again or crawling backwards like she did by the tub after she fell over.

"Oh, are we up here already? I'm sorry that I dozed off there for how long exactly?" She looked at me, eyes glazed over. I smiled a bit as she took my hand while we stood. "You're forgiven. You just fell asleep for two minutes, that's all. You must be very ill." I turned on the light. Lin looked down as we entered the room, and even though I was shorter than her, I could see a blush under her cheeks. "Yes, well, I suppose that it doesn't have to do with just the lack of sleep." I once again gave her a puzzled expression. She spoke hesitantly. "I didn't tell you that as a gift, she gave us all free sake." That answered it for me.

"You saved some of it and had it earlier didn't you? That's why you didn't sleep?" She nodded. "But I missed Chihiro so much, and it seemed like a good relief for my stress." I shook my head as I helped put her in the cot. She climbed in like it was her life. I smirked as I saw her sudden love for her sleep showed itself to me. I reached for the green and purple plaid blanket over by the window. It was only a few hours into the night as I noticed that crescent shaped moon was only a third of the way risen. It glowed magically, with the twinkling stars surrounding it, the serene oceanic waters reflecting the velvet sky.

Once I had covered her, she seemed like a young child. Eyes were shut and a smile graced her mouth as she curled up into a ball. I stood up and walked my way back to the hall, striding over lumped masses of other rumpled blankets and pillows. My feet started to feel well again. I was about to pull the switch off and leave, but Lin's voice called out to me. I turned around.

"Did you say something Lin?" I asked.

"I'm sorry for apologizing again, but I didn't answer your question." She was exhausted, and I honestly thought she was asleep.

"What question?" I solicited calmly, gradually sliding the door closed.

"About Chihiro asking about you. She asked if I knew you, where you were a lot, and even if there was two of you!" She snickered inaudibly. "Of course, I don't blame her. I mean there are two extreme sides to you -the stern Haku versus the friendlier Haku. It's rather funny to me. And she also wanted to look for you a few times. "

That was the final thing she spoke as I bid her to take it easy. I stayed by the door even though it was closed, taking in what she said. If Chihiro had asked about me so much, why didn't she insist on spending more time with me while she could? Of course I was busy, yes, but I also informed her I was her comrade- and friends look out for each other. And while I thought about this, my torso started thumping piercingly. My hand went to my chest.

_What is going on with me? Why am I feeling like this? It, it's probably nothing. Just all of the strain I put on myself so far today._

I composed myself as I started walking to the elevator. _Maybe I'll go back to Kamajii for a while. I haven't seen him since he and I talked on the bridge. _So I went on my way, giving a new friend a mine the good rest that she deserves.


	8. Chapter 7

The Cure That Truly Haunts

Chapter Seven

*For the record I do not own anything of Spirited Away

*I'm sorry that I haven't posted in a while- I had family responsibilities, writer's block, and I came down will an illness so I've been recovering. I sincerely apologize.

Mysteriously, it was greatly more hushed on the superior levels than it did on the lower stories. My left hand glided along the timber railings, every once in a while having to remove itself when the fence rammed into a post. Then it would continue on in a never-ending line. The touch beneath my fingertips was somehow silky and cold despite the heated quarters. My hand curled around like it was a part of the structure. Whatever the case, I strolled ahead for the elevator, but my focus kept on staring down to the other spirits, workers and guests alike. There were the Ootori gods (of birds), Ushoni (antlered spirits), Yuna (slug bath women workers), Aogaeru (smaller frogs like Clam), the toad managers and other spirits such as the radish spirit doing various things. The staff crossed one another's paths endlessly, trying to meet their destinations. The guests were either being guided by their hosts or laying in the temperate waters to unwind their tender physiques.

The small floral pink chandeliers were radiating over my head and attached themselves to the blackened metal ceiling. Not many shadows were created from these bases, but enough light from the main room on my side casted my silhouette. I came to a stop as I rotated in the course of the divergent surface, my heart racing like the wind. Unexpectedly, an image of Chihiro flickered into my mentality. She was jovial, and she was sprinting – running from me. Her thin frame carried her off into the distance on my right. And I could have sworn I saw her jog down the hallway back to where I had left Lin. I lowered my head, my hand clasping onto the nearby pole. I felt myself descending, but somewhere I knew that my body wasn't moving.

"_I must be hallucinating or something. My mind is playing tricks on me. The heat is, is affecting me worse than I thought. Maybe what Lin had is contagious." _I grimaced in thought. "_But, but that can't be, be it. She got sick because of the sake and lack of sleep._" I didn't realize that I had slammed my eyes shut. But I couldn't open them. My neck started to feel like it was being smothered or crushed, cutting off my air supply. I tried to cough, but I found that I couldn't even bear a single whistle.

Just as suddenly as I felt this never-ending agony, it broke. My eyelids lifted; my ability to inhale and exhale came back; I wasn't feeling lightheaded. Simply put, it was weird.

I found myself facing the wall, and not that far from the elevator. Looking down at the door's entrance Tarou, one of the brown toad spirits dressed in a yellow garment with green accents, was standing by. His gaze questioned my own. He obviously was suspicious, but I smiled and waved him off. "I'm fine Tarou! Sorry about that. I guess I was just dizzy." This seemed to have reassured him because he smiled and leaned against the balcony doing what I had done moments ago. There was no need for him to know what had happened. Even I wasn't sure of what went on. I looked back at the wall. My shadow was still casting itself as the sounds of the daily commotions thankfully returned to my senses. For once, it didn't give me a headache. In fact, I let out a sigh of relief. There was nothing out of the ordinary – at least to the normal eye.

Finding myself at the elevator a couple minutes after, my head looked this way and that in awkwardness as I focused on other things. Even the dead, dark silence of the hallway was somehow interesting. And for some reason, my eyes couldn't even glance at Tarou, and yet we were the only two around. We were in a more remote part of the bath house, not really noticed by anyone. He was preoccupied with staring down at the works of everyone else. "Must be boring, huh?" I asked, trying to lighten this tension. Although I believed that it was only one-sided because the toad shook his head in response. "No, it's not really boring at all." His croaking was softer, almost dreamily. That was when I finally stared at him. His eyes were half closed and there was a smile on his face that reached from side to side.

My feet carried themselves over to him. He was leaning on the pole, and one of his webbed hands held onto the red painted railing loosely. I, on the other hand, stood up straight like I normally did. But I felt the corners of my mouth slowly rise as I figured out why he was smiling. Down, by the foreman's desk, was Sayuri, one of the women that were employed here. She had long black hair with that slightly chubby face of hers. The long flowing blue worker clothing, like a kimono of sorts, signified to me that she was one of the masseuses that aided the spirits' aching muscles. And every now and then she would volunteer to help others with the bathes on her free time. She was a hardworking slug. I recalled when I had to take her down to seek a position after she signed her contract. Calmly asking for a bath token from the foreman, she went on her way. And it seemed that Tarou was going after her.

"Woah there, Tarou! Don't you fall off!" I had to grip onto his shoulders and tug him, faltering back onto the wooden floor. It wasn't easy considering the fact that I was in a thirteen year old body (well for a human anyway) lugging a very hefty toad that probably weighed three times heavier. I was just fortunate that he didn't land on top of me.

Attempting to get back his footing, the toad opened his mouth in shock as he leaned forward once more to separate himself from my hands. It didn't take more than a few seconds – my palms willingly let go once we were far enough that he wouldn't be tossed over the balcony and his webbed feet allowed him to catch himself. He turned around to face me and sighed. "Thank you, Haku. I appreciate it. I suppose that I was distracted there for a minute." He smiled at me, showing his sincerity. "If it weren't for you I guessed that everyone would have had frog legs for dinner later." He laughed at his own joke and I chuckled slightly. Things were certainly lightening up for me today that was for sure.

I dusted off my blue pants and my white shirt as the mirth died down. And Tarou was fixing his collar for relief. I rubbed my forehead of sweat. "Sorry about that, I guess that I must have pulled at your neck, didn't I?" I asked feeling a little guilty, looking up at him. After he finished adjusting, he went back to his post by the elevator. He gazed at the buttons for a moment. "Yes, well it is quite alright. You were helping me after all," his eyes stared at mine with kindness, "So, Haku, where are you planning on going? Up or down?"

I uncurled myself from my leaning position. "Oh, I was heading on down to the boiler room to visit Kamajii." He furrowed at first in response, but then grinned. "The old man? Well, I saw you put Lin in her room. Is she sick or something?" Tarou questioned with curiosity. I turned to face the elevator as he pushed the button that would take me all the way downstairs. "Yes, she just didn't get the sleep that she needed." I chose to leave the sake part out of the equation. She didn't need to get in trouble since she had a good reason for drinking. I knew that sounded wrong in my mind but she couldn't help but miss her former assistant.

"May I suggest something, Haku?" he asked.

I turned to him."Sure, Tarou."

"Why don't you get some food for Kamajii? That is normally Lin's job, and since she is ill maybe you should bring it down to him." That would give me an excuse to see him. Because of his continuous work, he would probably just tell me to leave. I beamed in thought. "Thank, Tarou, I'll do that. But do you know where Lin gets his food from?"

His eyes widened with surprise. "Oh yes, you see Lin takes down the food. But since she is a friend of mine," I eyed him unsure if it was the truth. He could tell that I was distrustful. He defended himself. "We are friends you know? You can ask her when she feels better." His words sounded honest, so I let it slide. "Anyway, I noticed that she got so tired of going down to one level and get the food and then having to rush down to the bottom floor, she would not only be tired but the food would always get cold. And Kamajii loves hot, warm food. And if he doesn't get his hot food, then he doesn't work as hard. That is how he likes to be rewarded. So I told her that from now on, if I was working the elevator here I would get his food and the soot-balls' star flakes to make it easier for her. That way, she could get back to work sooner."

I had to inquire the obvious question then. "So does that mean you have his food?" Tarou nodded. He turned around and bended over behind a giant palm-leaf plant by the post and handed me a basket with the star flakes and a bowl of steamed vegetables and rice. The woven brown basket was bumpy and the bowl kind of burned my skin. But I swallowed down the pain as the elevator door. "Well, there you are, Haku, your ride is here."

I entered the elevator and turned to face the toad. Before I dragged the lever on the left that would take me down, "Hey, Tarou?" I asked. He looked at me.

"Thanks for the help," then I added with amusement, "and good luck with Sayuri by the way."

I smirked slightly as his face turned red with embarrassment.

Then I pulled the door shut as I made my way down to see Kamajii, the boiler man. And as I stared at the door, the movement of the room I was in causing that familiar downward sense, I could only think of how he might explain to me what he had told me on the bridge.


	9. Chapter 8

The Cure That Truly Haunts

Chapter Eight

*For the record I do not own anything of Spirited Away

Iron metal from the amounts of interlocked cords scraped along to a lethargic end after only some minutes. A chime rang in the ambiance which was light to the ears, and yet it connoted that I arrived at my destination. I was not that far off from Kamajii. My patience was getting slimmer and thinner by the second. And my gaze just couldn't tear away from the door. The edginess was mounting in the deepest parts of my throbbing heart, somehow feeling like there was a being with a life of its' own other than myself inside my body; whereas the rest became only numb. My blood flowed through each vein and yet my skin didn't feel any warmth, coolness, or texture. Even as the shrill air conditioner blew on to the top of my head, hair skimming my neckline, I still felt nothing. All of my muscles had those familiar vibrations that would make one think that a limb had "fallen asleep".

The pressure from the light green bowl in my right hand and the basket hanging on my left arm was the only evident sign that my apprehension hadn't caused me to completely shut down. It was supposed to be a regular visit to deliver the boiler man and the soot balls some cooking, nothing more, at least to him. If I had luck on my side, which so far since daybreak it was pretty high, then he would not be able to catch on that I had other ideas in mind. _Oh, who am I kidding? He has struggled here far longer than me, and he also knows what I can be like and who I really am. I might as well be an open book for him to read when he isn't doing his job._

My chest stretched out as I locked my eyes, exhaling in defeat. _Just keep calm. It can't be that hard to ask for assistance, right? I mean I basically howled out to him when we were outside. So I should be okay. For all I know, he could have heard me and is probably expecting me to come down here._

And just as I started to grow wearisome of these pointless concerns, the raw wooden doors finally shifted into their panels. Having them shut themselves behind me, I passed a stairwell and some oiling supplies that sat on metal barrels and walked my way through the main area. I wasn't met with much luminosity, seeing as how the only massive light source was several stories above me. Other elevators were ascending and descending with other cables as the mechanics on the ground level rotated in circles, pulling at them left or right. Massive wooden beams also seemed to stretch to the sky in a knitted fashion. I could hear little muffled commotion of the guests whose rooms were lined up by the walls, but it was mostly the sounds of engineering that came to mind.

Since the passage that led to the boiler room was right across from me, I wasted no time in making my way over to it. The first of numerous lamps hung on the right at the entrance, and then it would be a repeated pattern. Darkness would meet the dim lightness as the packages of different colors and sizes rested along each wall helping to guide me all the way to the boiler room without running into anything. And of course more oiling materials would be scattered on the floor here and there. I smirked at the thought that if I was still around, I might have been just tall enough to hit my head on the ceiling one of these days.

Spirits could die, yes. We were similar to humans in regards of immunity to disease and death. Humans were considerably stronger the younger they were, and then as they got older they lose this immunity and cease to exist. It saddened me at the thought that this would happen to Chihiro one day many years from now. However it was the opposite with us. I was a much younger spirit, which made me more vulnerable to illness, death, and even to Zeniba's attacks. However, I figured out a long time ago something really motivating. Over the time I spent with Chihiro, I recalled on my flight to take the witch's seal about thinking to myself involving the idea of aging the same way humans would. In spite of how long we all have lived, we chose our age. So if I wanted to appear older or younger, I had the ability to do so. So, I decided to age at the same rate as the average human. That was why I smiled at the thought – it wouldn't be very long by the time that happened. About five, six years I supposed.

_Maybe the five years is actually shorter than this hallway. _I thought sarcastically.

It was then I couldn't take it anymore. This walk was killing me. It was taking too long. My legs had a sudden urge to run. _Maybe I could as long I didn't destroy the food_… It pulsed in my body, and the next thing I knew I was speeding with my dragon strength until it was too late. My clothing flapped over my shins and shoulders and my forest-green bangs flew over my head. If I ran under a lamp, the color would reflect into my eyes as it became transparent for a second. The echoes of my running were so loud that the wood cracked at its edges even with the slightest bit of my weight's pressure. All I saw was black and white until I got my sense of touch slammed in my face. _Man, what did I hit?_

I staggered back, eyes somewhat loopy as the dizziness consumed me for a moment. And still my chest was racing with the recent exertion. I set down the food and the star flakes gently as I put a hand to my chest, looking down at the floor. My breathing was labored, and I could have sworn I saw small amounts of steam released along with it. _The benefits of being a dragon spirit._ My emerald stare only had to lift slightly to realize that I was finally at Kamajii's door step.

I suddenly stood up straight and turned my head around. The ground was charred and scratched from my running. And I could see that I knocked one of the lamps over. Glass shards were on the floorboards and in the cracks. Lips formed into an "o" shape as I took in full of my mistake. _Oops. I'd better clean that later. Oh well, I'm here now so I'd better get this over with._

I straightened my clothes and bent my knees forward, the teal fabric tightening around the joint. My left hand reached for the edge of the door and slowly unlatched it. Then it shifted to the right as it opened my way into the boiler room. The immediate heated temperature made me sweat somewhat and squint my irises. The deafening smell of dirt and burning rubble crinkled my nose, my mouth back in its' normal straight face with a small accent of a smile.

Kamajii was hard at work, an orange-red light from the embers on his face. He looked no different other than his increase in energy now that it was night. His light brown mustache would furrow every once in a while as two bath tokens shot themselves with their violet ribbons waiting for his deliveries. Then an arm or two would extensively reach themselves to the various herbs and shelves to create the formulas. His shouts at the soot were telling them to work harder into bringing the coal out of their holes and into the furnace.

Swallowing up my hints of intimidation at his tone, I absentmindedly took the basket and the bowl into my hands and made my way into the room. The soot balls dropped the stones with plopping clunks as they stared at me. I returned a grin as they cheered at my sudden well-being. I was a damaged and dangerous dragon the last time they saw me. Kamajii, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice me yet, so I was about to speak out. But the boiler man beat me to it. "Hello, Lin. So you finally came down with my food, eh?" The soot balls seemed to yell out to him that I was here and not the other spirit. I chuckled quietly to myself. Then, with a sideways glance at the old man, I replied in an impression of Lin. Sad to say I wasn't the best at it. "Well, Kamajii, I don't know much about her. But I was very glad to be offered this opportunity."

He dropped a couple of things around him and turned to me, laughing with me at my poor attempt. He wiped his eye of a tear from the moment. Going around a small table that was on the floor, my right hand reached out to him his rice dish. A lanky hand took it from my grasp, having to reach down farther because of my height. "Ah, thank you Haku, for both the lunch and the impression." We both smiled. Then he shifted his head to the soot that were starting to pool at my feet. Their small hairs brushed against my ankles, making them dusty. They jumped all around for the multi-colored star flakes.

After finishing the last of his concoctions, Kamajii bellowed out that it was lunch time and for them to take a break. Lifting the basket higher in the air so that the little spirits couldn't get to it, I had to walk over to the step where I could sit down and rested my feet on the stone floor. Slowly I lowered myself right along the wall of shelves, setting the basket on my right. My mind went blank as I stared at the soot, flicking my wrist whenever I released the flakes down on the floor. My feet ached with relief because I hadn't sat down for a while since I was with Lin. They made small shouts of joy as their eyes went wide as they scampered, carrying them all around the room. It made me laugh at their antics. I had never seen them like this before. It was kind of like they were dancing with small, quick steps that even my mind couldn't quite take in.

Kamajii, who was eating his meal, crawled out of his place by the furnace like the tarantula spirit he was. His movements were quiet, almost peaceful as he sat down beside me. "So, Haku," he spoke tiredly, "Tell me, did Lin have more of that sake and get sick?" This shook me out of my trance with the sprites. I instantly looked to him in fear, about to deny it, but my face must have given it away. He patted my shoulder as he ate a couple of steamed carrots. "It's fine. I expected as much. She will miss Chihiro terribly. I won't say anything."

I nodded, but my attention turned to the darkened parts of wood around the room. They were splattered on the walls of drawers and even on the step that we were sitting on. Over in the corner I could see the sheets and blankets and pillows that were used to comfort me. They were all rumpled, and a chalice was thrown over there as well. I shuddered. I skimmed the wall of arches on the concrete where the soot would come in and out of. They were all now very calm and chewing on their snacks as they pleased. I then looked at the ceiling and frowned at the broken fan that I ran into in my state of darkness. All I could feel was guilt.

"I'll pay for the damages Kamajii." I muttered, leaning my head against the wall in thought. I didn't notice how the old man stared at me, putting his dish down, and patted my head once more. My hands fumbled with each other as my shoulders sagged forward. "It's ok, Haku. Don't fret over such nonsense." I looked to him in surprise. "Are, are you sure? I mean it was my fault and I…Ouch! What was that for?" He hit me in the head. My anger flailed for a second, about to complain, but then it calmed down as I sensed his inner concerns for me. I chose to keep my mouth shut as I turned away from him. Kamajii's voice was stern, but not loud.

"Now listen here, boy. It was not your fault. You were under the influence of two powerful witches and seriously injured. Honestly, I would have been more surprised if Chihiro had the strength to bring your dragon self down here on her own. The damage doesn't matter. If anything, it would make Yubaba frustrated about making the reparations." I frowned at that. Knowing now what she did to come so far made me feel sorry for her a little. I guessed no else knew her history but me. "As long as you are ok, that is all that matters." He paused for a moment. And they, like on the bridge, he took my shoulder and made me face him. His tenor was seriously hushed.

"Are you ok, Haku?"


	10. Chapter 9

The Cure That Truly Haunts

Chapter Nine

*For the record I do not own anything of Spirited Away

Midnight nails were crumpling my ivory and cobalt dressed shoulder, the creases lifting themselves in the air from his pressure. The soft sounds of the fabric moving also mixed with some very few strands of my own hair. At the nape it was hanging limp and yet the rest was yanked like the bathhouse's ropes at the crown, causing my scalp to pinch. Kamajii started to pull me in closer and closer until I was eye to, well, shady eyeglasses with the spirit. With no daylight, it was meaningless in attempting to come up with even the smallest amount of an image as to how his lenses looked. I didn't understand why I should have been concerned about how his eyes really appeared when he was so obviously concerned for me either. My mind was all over the place, a definite blank.

He shook me forward and back. "Well, young boy, are you ok?" My head still bobbing, I tried to restore a sense of balance yet again for what seemed like the millionth time that day, or night. My right hand racked my cranium, rubbing it soothingly in repetitive circles. I wasn't sure which at the moment. Although, I was fortunate to have something to think about, turning my head to the left, going to the soot sprites. They had finished in taking their star flakes. Some of them were sitting on the ground feeling full from their lunch while others went back to the dusty coal and the burning furnace. And I didn't know who was alright in the room. There was already enough tension between all of us it was almost unbearable. The small spirits were next to really hot temperatures, Kamajii was worried about me, and I wasn't even quite sure if I had an response to his question. There was no way I could ever lie to him. My gaze reluctantly returned to him, lowering my upper limb, like I was afraid of something. All I could do was hoarsely murmur.

"Kamajii, I, I don't know." He reared himself away releasing my shoulder as I sighed, eyelids lowering themselves from my tolling exhaustion. "So far I've done well since I last saw you. I think I might be getting through to Lin and Yubaba on a good note. But I, I," my voice faltered so Kamajii had to lean in, "sensed a wave of relief and sadness. I believe it might have something to do with Chihiro. What do you think?" He turned away and went over to his post by the furnace, not replying to my question.

Before my name was taken from Yubaba who was stepping in for the Spirit of Lost Souls, I had stayed with the spirit next to me in the boiler room. Without knowing that he was intentionally hiding me from her, Kamajii had said that I shouldn't work at the bath house and leave while I had the chance. And because I was blind to the destruction of my river, I didn't have any place to go. That was when he, shamefully in my accidental predicament, took me to the witch's office. In thought of this, I actually smiled to myself yet again. It was a bittersweet memory, yes, but it led to me being more of a friend to Chihiro. She found my name – a gift I can't return the favor to because she had her goodbye card hidden in her clothes.

There was also the fact that no matter what, it was so easy to discuss with the spider spirit over just about anything. He was considerate, even though he did come on strong with others when he first met them. It took him time, though not much, for him to decide whether or not a person was worthy of his trust. And if he was in full confidence, his choice of words always aided those around him. But most of the time, even when I was Yubaba's apprentice, not that many people paid a visit. Normally it was I or Lin. I truly thought that the two of us were so fortunate to be in his presence.

My spine began to sag against the wall of drawers, my knees bending as my toes curled when they came in contact with the floorboards. Everything became blurry, however not bad enough that I couldn't sense that Kamajii had gone back to his post. That stupid heartbeat of mine banged against my chest while the only breaths I made came out past my lips. It was hard enough work to take in the sultry and ash-consumed air. I felt as if I was going to pass out. Fingertips angrily scraped near my legs, splintering a few. They were pesky, yet they would come out in a few days.

At that moment, a certain pressure on my back forced me to lie farther down. The sudden shock caused my clear jade eyes to open at seeing a cup of odd-smelling liquid trying to compel itself down my throat. Even though I was parched from the humidity, I wasn't about to dare have that near my mouth. I literally had to "shut my trap" so I wouldn't submit myself to the foul drink. Dark blue in color and as thick as blood, it reeked of sludge and strong onion grass. My arms were held by two of the tarantula's hands as I absentmindedly struggled against the binds. I continued to moan as a result. Mustache furrowed, the older spirit was frustrated. _Wait a minute; I thought he was back working at the boiler._ "Now, now. Haku, this is a special brew I made. It will do no harm to you I promise," shaking his head, "I noticed how tired you were. You obviously haven't slept since you woke from the golden seal incident." His tone was calming, making me relax as I allowed Kamajii to pour the potion past my mouth and down my throat. It burned at the back with the taste of harsh cinnamon while the front was outrageously cool with the remnants of sage and oregano. It was an awkward sensation. I kept gaping on and off as I swallowed the harsh fluid.

Once it was all gone, my left hand wrapped itself around my throat lightly. Rubbing it soothingly, the boiler man released me and once more moved aside. He didn't go back to work. I glanced over to the furnace only to find that no bath tokens were hanging. He put off doing his job, _again_, so that he could take care of me. I grinned lightly at the elder. "Thank you Kamajii. How long should the mixture last?" He was just sitting there, a few of his arms coming down when he sensed that I wasn't irritated. And yet he tapped his fingers, the only other sound than the machinery behind his head. "Well, Haku," coughing into one of his elbow, "to answer both of your questions…" I was puzzled. But his voice continued, so I paid attention before I could interrupt again. And the spell seemed to start taking effect since I was gaining more strength.

"The medicine should last a few hours, and by daybreak you should be sleeping along with the rest of us. By the time it wears off, you'll most likely be in bed upstairs. So I highly suggest that you head up there after this." I nodded, urging him to continue. He continued to stare at me, going on. "And I'm really glad that you have made progress with those two stubborn women. But as for this sadness, which you claim that Chihiro had been involved with, was there something that went on between the two of you before you came here?" I sought the ground for a moment, thinking of how I could word my response. "Well, um, when we were flying back," this was harder than I'd expected, " Chihiro, she told me this story about her falling into a river while she was little. She was trying to get her shoe back," I chuckled slightly, "But the water carried her to land." I looked to Kamajii, a bigger smile evident on my face. "It was my river, I saved her. She gave me my name back."

I had to wipe a tear from my eye of the memory. Sure it happened last night, but it seemed like forever since my silver scales flew and dissolved, allowing the two of us to fall down high in the mid-atmosphere. My action didn't go passed the spirit as he simply smiled my way. "Well, I must say, it seems to me that you appreciate what she did. And congratulations with the discovery."

I continued to grin, my newly-found strength increasing. I sat upright against the wall. "Thanks, Kamajii. I really do appreciate it. But, do to certain circumstances that I'd rather not discuss, I'll still be working here. Besides, after what she told me, my river had been destroyed by human construction. So I couldn't return even if I wanted to. And honestly, I don't want to leave. I've been here long enough, but I find myself enjoying this bathhouse." Kamajii patted me on the shoulder roughly. In his own way, I could tell that he meant that he was sorry for what happened and happy that I would be staying. "So, I guess that means you'll still be Yubaba's apprentice?" I laughed quietly, now causing him to be confused. I shook my head side to side, sniffling at the dust. "No, I won't. Instead I'll be working as Lin's new assistant." At this the spider had a thunderous cackle. "So I, I guess, that means that you will have Chihiro run for her money if she decides to return."

I turned my head away, suddenly feeling sad. My eyes shut tightly. Fingers racked my forest hair as I sighed. "No, she won't. I had to make sure." I didn't continue my train of thought. The old man gazed at me, opened his mouth about to say something, but shut it again when he realized. He too looked down and forlornly replied. "You put a spell on her, didn't you?"

"A memory spell. Once she reached the human world, it took effect. So she won't return because she won't remember anything that went on here."Silence followed for a few minutes. And yet it seemed to have lasted for hours, days at a time. I refused to say anything, not because I was mad, more like frightened. Kamajii's opinion of me was very important. With him, I had truly felt like I had at least one true companion here. If he was the least bit angry, I'd blame myself. So I didn't say anything out of making myself look worse; although, that was probably what I deserved. Luckily, he broke the ice. I wasn't quite sure of what he would say next, so I coiled myself with my arms raised above my head, expecting a tongue lashing. "I can't undo what has been done, but if you found it to be the best solution I have no objections. I just hope you won't wake up tomorrow and regret your actions."

All of a sudden, each of my limbs was on the floor as I twisted myself to him, my mouth still shut. The oregano was bitterly pressing against the roof my mouth, its herby essence preventing me from talking again as I pursed my lips. Its small, grainy texture was annoying. Thankfully, there wasn't much, so it didn't take me long to reply, still dejectedly. "Yes, well, I had to consider her protection, her parents, and especially how the connections between us and the human world can never combine. Kamajii, you know this is true."

He put one of his fingers to his mouth, tapping it in thought as he gazed up at the busted fan. One of his arms turned around and went over to the pile of blankets. After hearing the faint shuffling sounds, he managed to grasp a violet cover. Handing it to me, I let its silky texture slip grace my touch. But it wasn't the touch that had me somewhat entranced. It was the smell of fresh peonies. _From the garden_. I smiled. This was worn by Chihiro. In his calming voice, "I woke up while there was daylight outside recently. When I lifted myself up, she was right where you were sitting, in a deep sleep. I had to make sure the tough little girl was comfortable," draping the blanket around my shoulders while my hands touched the floor," And yes, I know it's true." He paused, and then exhaled. "Haku, I can tell by the way you are acting that there is another reason why you came, and by any chance would it have anything to do with what I told you earlier?"

Even though I could hear his question very well, the potion was beginning to affect my alertness. I was getting drowsy, letting out a yawn, and finding a reassurance in the cover. _It must be taking effect sooner because I've been up for so long._ I enveloped it around myself heavily. It was like Chihiro was right nearby. My lips pulled themselves into a smile, finally ready to answer. I looked once more to his glass-covered eyes that were filled with light amusement.

"Yes. I didn't quite understand what you meant up there. But now I know."

He stared at me, willing me to continue in curiosity. Dragging my wobbly legs to stand upright, I reached for one of his arms. They were frail, bony, only covered by thin fabrics. It made it easier to get to my body up. Kamajii stepped back to give room. It wasn't easy, especially since I continued to stumble. But it wasn't that bad. I knew right then and there that I had to get going. It wasn't just my being so exhausted; rather it was that I had my answer. My friend's six arms were held away, and I went over to the closed entryway. The floorboards moaned, the machinery rumbling, the herbal taste still cooling my mouth, and Chihiro's scent wafted in the air that surrounded me.

When I kneeled once more by the door I fixed my emerald eyes on Kamajii, the boiler man. _More like one of my closest friends_. His eyes, and yes I could see his eyes now – bright sky blue they were. And kindling within them was a flame of excitement. I didn't understand how I could have seen the color in the reddened room; however it made me feel more comforted. They were attentive and peaceful. Then I continued on in spite of myself, speaking with a shy confidence.

"After you had told me that the cure would come return to haunt me, I have no idea what you meant. And to be honest, I still don't. I had thought that if I could speak with you, I would have my answer. But after visiting Yubaba, working with Lin, and having you guide me, I now know that I can't just go around asking others of what my future foretells me. I should let it take its own course. If time permits, I'll know exactly what you are referring to, Kamajii," opening the door and climbing through it, "So thank you my friend."

For the last time that day I saw him, he only told me one thing.

"You're welcome, my boy. Now get to bed before you get ill."

I laughed, and genuinely did so, letting a tear escape.

"Will do, Kamajii. I'll do just that."

Hearing the last of the shouts of the goodbyes from the soot balls, I shut the door and walked down the hall, avoiding the small shards of glass from the broken lamp. _I'll warn Lin about the glass later. Once I get some sleep I should be better. I hope Chihiro's alright. I'll miss her, I know I will. She is better off on the mortal side of the world. There is no way she can remember me._

_But there is no way I'll forget my best friend._

I smiled as I held the peony-scented blanket closer to my chest. _Chihiro, thank you. _

Another tear graced my cheek in honor of her.


	11. Chapter 10

The Cure That Truly Haunts

Chapter Ten

*For the record I do not own anything of Spirited Away

Skin marred with the thinnest scratches ever, the fingers on my left hand ran them along my cheek in an up-down motion. The additional sensation tickled, and a native urge took itself and rubbed away the lingering itch. The wooden broomstick swung around my ankles while my other hand pressed against the icy coiled silver wire that was wrapped around the straw's base. Flipping it in an attempt to get back to work, the cleaning material clanked on the ground when it slipped out of my hand. I didn't pay any attention to the fallen item when I stumbled forward, as my head stared directly at the one who threw it. Lin was dressed in her fresh lilac and navy worker attire and with brown hair draped across her right shoulder as she leaned over laughing at me; her voice cracked the sound barrier. Her eyes were fastened closed behind black lashes, an occasional finger wiping away a tear. I glowered at her, with a hint of my inner dragon snarling. The oxygen filling the desperate lungs, my breath was also profound. Between her amusement and my heaving body, it almost appeared that of a maniacal villain fawning over her victim's torment.

And yet all she did was chuck a broom when I wasn't looking. Not my brightest moment, that was for sure.

I scoffed off, rather jokingly myself. _How dare she trick me like that? I shouldn't have believed her when she said Yubaba was standing at the door. I just can't trust her. _Of course that was a total lie. I have been friends with her for so long now; it was next to impossible for me to despise Lin. I had to own up; it was all in fine satisfaction. Generally it was for her advantage. If anything, it goes to show how much of a swindler the woman was. From tossing a broom in my way to "accidentally" knocking me into the tubs filled with an herbal soapy taste, there was always something up that lavender sleeve of hers."There's enough room up there to store anything. I probably shouldn't have got her a new wardrobe." I muttered softly, still kind of furious from the marks on my reddened complexion. If I left the room now, the staff would think that Lin and I got ourselves into another argument. Quite possibly, it might as well been a fist fight and whatever we said it wouldn't matter. The both of us would get sent to the sorceress at the end - all over nothing.

I bowed my knees over just enough to clutch the object on the floor, strands grazing along my ankle as I positioned myself back up. The brunette was finally starting to calm, hilarity vanishing away as if nothing had just transpired. Yet her ample beam made it clear that she thoroughly enjoyed what she had started. I moved my forest bangs to the side seeing as how the bright lighting and rising steam increased the humidity. My mouth mirrored Lin's, although it was considerably smaller. I was used to her forms of torture by now, and I didn't mind it _if _I wasn't hurt in the process. Luckily, the damage wasn't that bad tonight. But the heat was worse. I walked over to the wall with the towering bonsai tree, setting the broom so that it was resting against it. My colorless over shirt was hanging limp, the excess weight not helping me. I turned to my boss. "Nice one, Lin," in my mocking tone as I also took off my geta sandals, "Although, would it be too much to ask if I just take off my white shirt and leave the blue one on? The room is too hot for my liking." The temperatures were so warm that every surface was slick with condensation and it was just plain uncomfortable. Misty airs swirled around all of us in the bathhouse. From the commotions of the other employees, I heard it was the busiest night we have had in years. But no one knew why. There wasn't anything new – no special sale (it was Yubaba after all – would there be a sale?), no festival in the town, nothing. So what was going on?

All of the regular guests we've ever had flocked into the building, demanding to stay for multiple nights at a time. Besides Lin and me, every other employee was questioning their guests when they talked to one another. However, no one gave any indication why they suddenly decided to pay the business every cent they were worth. It was a mad house. Because we were assigned to the big tub again for added cleaning, we didn't receive any major spirits that absolutely required a wash. Some grumbles of jealousy were heard whenever one would pass by our door, which was about every ten minutes.

Lin followed my direction and stood next to me by the wall as she opened the wooden door with one thump of her fist. Turning my back around to stand behind her, she mocked in return. "Yeah, yeah. Do whatever you want, Dragon Boy, nobody's noticing. Well, except some of the other idiotic women who won't stop crushing on you. Just don't try showing off. It doesn't help a man's respect if he's acting like that." Moving back to the broom, I untied the stiff knots at my shirt's waist and lifted the silken fabric over my head. My face scrunched in annoyance. There was no way I would ever be with any of them. And she knew that. I had to keep my focus on my job and helping Yubaba to come up with any loop holes in that contract of hers with the Spirit of Lost Souls. It seemed to me that he fed off of others deaths and lost identities. That was about it. After eight years, I still hadn't solved anything beyond that point.

And to top it off, since I chose to age the same way humans would, I currently appeared around 21 years old in the human world. And this thing that humans called it, puberty according to Kamajii, it had done me "total justice" as told by some of the women. I didn't fully recognize that statement when it was first spoken, but overtime I realized it meant that I looked handsome. And honestly, I didn't believe it. Sure, I gained muscle mass from my hard hours of working and my skin became a little tanner. But it was still frightfully pale, my hair was still in its awkward dark green color and short length, and I was rather slender still in comparison to the other guys around the place.

_Ok, I'm comparing myself to toads here. Man, I need a break. _

I supposed I had that glazed look in my eyes thinking on that because Lin waved her hand in front of my face, whistling. "Haku, hey Haku, are you ok?" I shivered a little as my right hand let go of my shirt, it pooling around my feet. She laid a hand on my shoulder, shaking it to provoke me further into reality. My voice quaked. "Sorry, Lin. Guess I must have dazed off again." She stared up with her brown eyes, me being a half head taller than her now. The concern was evident. It unnerved me whenever someone was anxious for me. I didn't need it. The herbal water rushing into the tub was the only sound that could be heard. With my heightened sense of hearing, I had a knack for focusing in on one sound, even if there were thousands of them rolling on top of each other. But I knew that I had to ease my friend's worry. Lin could be sensitive if her friends were not well. She once said that Chihiro wasn't feeling well the night that I gave her the job as her assistant. Since then, I could always had been able tell when she was troubled.

I lifted her smooth hand off of my shoulder, coolly replying, "Thank you, Lin, but I'm fine. I think I just need something to eat, that's all." She looked at me warily. "Ok, well, I'll just go get ourselves some breakfast. Be sure to," I cut her off knowingly. "Yeah, yeah swindling weasel. Pull the rope when the tub is full." She smirked and twisted away from me and we went to our "posts". If one or both of us were starving, Lin was the one to get breakfast. No matter what, I couldn't shake her. She always insisted that I sit over where we had our first real conversation about _her _experience with the river spirit. She never said why she wanted to be the one to get the food, but I had the idea that it was her way of making up for having her breakfast with Chihiro be ruined when it turned into dust. Even if it was the odor of the polluted river spirit that caused the mishap.

I staggered my way to the opposing wall, sliding down the yellow timber boards. My knees came up to my chest as my hands lay beside me. My fingers tapped constantly out of exhaustion and boredom. The steamy room filled my nose with a vanilla rosemary scent that was utterly peaceful. I could taste the vanilla essence on the back of my throat, somewhat ending and yet starting my need for cooking at the same time. The moment was short lived, as I had stood up to go acquire the twine. The journey was short. Just walk, climb the tub, and pull. That was about it. The only relieving part was feeling the cold concrete tub beneath my palms and feet. The temperature change aided me, and if it were possible, I would just spread out my arms and legs to sleep away on the stone. This night was exhausting me.

When I returned to my position along the wall, legs bent toward me and hands still at my side, it wasn't that long before Lin had strutted into the room with brown rice, chicken, and some orange sauce. I tilted my head to the side, hair contacting my face, staring at her. She never brought in that dish unless it was a special occasion night. I knew that the bathhouse was frantic with customers but I never would have guessed that was reason enough to commemorate. She nodded, recognizing my confusion, as she handed me the warm sky blue bowl. I lowered my limbs as I let the dish indent itself into my leg for room. I noticed that the chopsticks had an engraved dragon, red in color, with a blue jewel for an eye. I smiled and watched her. Like she did all of those years ago, Lin mimicked my position on my left. We slowly ate in silence for about twenty minutes. The chicken was succulent, skin sparingly crunchy. The tongue rubbed the roof of my mouth at chewing it. And the brown rice was great with the tender sauce. I felt thirsty, but I wasn't quite so focused on the need for water.

Overtime, Lin and I found out that it would easier to clean the tubs by filling it with hot herbal water first, get something to eat for a break, and then scrub the tub when the soap had loosened the dirt. It typically took about an hour to wait. So, I still had some time to ask my companion a couple of things I always questioned. There was this fear that she wouldn't like what I had to say, but I knew it had to be done. I coughed into my right elbow loudly from swallowing a chunk of chicken too soon. With that cleared away after five minutes, I set my dish aside on my right. "So, um, Lin. I was wondering, if you don't mind me asking, I mean, uh," my hand was behind my head rubbing in nervousness. I didn't want to upset her with my first question, but as her friend I couldn't help not knowing. Luckily, she also set her meal away and shut her eyes. "Yeah, Haku, what it is already? You can tell me." I took in a big heap of air and exhaled softly.

"Listen, I don't want it to be awkward for you. But I never found out how you came to be at the bathhouse in the first place. I've been curious for the past few years. If you don't want to," she covered my mouth with her equally pale, and thinner, hand. She cracked a gentle smile the way a sister only could. "Actually, I was going to tell you someday. So it might as well be now. If you could keep your mouth shut so we can get over this hurdle." I shook my head yes after she removed her palm. I tightened my lips. Yet I did as she requested. We turned to face each other with both of our legs crossed. I leaned forward, hands in my lap, fondling with my purple silk sash that was wrapped around my teal blue top. Meanwhile, Lin's tinted violet sleeves were pulled up to her shoulder. Slowly they would fall over back along her arms. She balanced herself backwards on her hands and started her tale. I hadn't heard a story since Yubaba's start with the bathhouse. So I was intrigued to listen.

"Wow, where do I begin? Well, I suppose it all started with my cousin, Sayuri. You know her Haku. She's the masseuse with the blue robe and black hair." I nodded in confirmation. "Well, her friend and mine, Tarou, needed the money to help his mother's ailing condition. She's gotten better I heard awhile ago. At the time, when she was ill, Tarou had heard of the bathhouse that apparently had a high salary and signed a contract with the witch. He knew that it was demanding for new workers because for some reason all of them disappeared and the business closed down for a while. Then it recently had restarted."

"Sayuri and Tarou were best friends when we grew up. And look I know you can keep a secret unless it involves life and death and yada yada right?" I nodded again. She whispered in response. "Well, I know my cousin would kill me if anyone found out but, she is in love with him," then her voice got louder once more, "So after a month and a half passed by and he didn't return home, his mother told her when she was visiting that he hadn't returned. Sayuri was so upset that she knew that she had to come here. I had heard rumors about this place and warned her against it. But that girl was stubborn, insisting that she had to do whatever it took to be with her love, and left. I tried to ignore it, but one can only last for so long without knowing what happened to someone they care about. She hadn't come home for weeks, so I did the only thing possible – I came here only to realize that my cousin and my friend lost their identities and that the wages were so low it was no wonder why Tarou never sent the money."

"When I retorted against Yubaba, she knew that if I were to leave the bathhouse and spread word about this identity and low paycheck situation that would ruin the business. So she used her magic to force me into signing the contract. I lost my own identity and now I'm here."

I was in shock. I meant literal shock. Every nerve in my body was filled with anger and confusion. Had Yubaba's greed and fear of the Spirit of Lost Souls truly gotten the best of her to the point where she would use her power to gain employment? I released my hold on my belt and just stared. Lin was only here because she cared about her cousin and friend. And apparently they both loved each other and didn't know it. And even though I should have taken it more seriously, I chuckled in the irony of this love story. And it was Lin's turn to tilt her head to the side in confusion which suddenly transformed it into anger. "Are you laughing at this sad story, dragon? What part of that was funny? Huh?" She yanked my blue shirt collar so that I was facing literally emerald eye to chocolate eye with the tempered woman. Her eyes were flamed with irritation. I continued to laugh, but it faded.

Resting my palms on her shoulders, crinkling the lavender cloth, I pulled her off of me. My smile continued to widen as I went to her ear, murmuring that Tarou and Sayuri were not that smart because if they had been, they would have known that they were in love with one another. Nothing else seemed to matter to her since I was literally tackled onto the ground as Lin shouted a "WHAT?" so loud that it shook every other reverberation out of my ears – and I meant every possible noise in the building. From the guests to the running water to the employees, everything else vanished. The weasel spirit made my head hurt from the impact and her resonating pitch.

She took hold of my wrists in a dead lock while I struggled. _The woman's stronger than I thought. I have to give her credit. _Her hands were chilled to the touch, my bones were excruciating in pain. My spinal column also ached, and because of that I stopped moving. I had to make my stand or else I would be a weasel punching bag. Plus, I couldn't stand her bird breath from our breakfast. With Lin's strength, I knew that I would be as good as gone. "Yes Lin! I said it! Ok? Now would you let me go before I use my icy breath or my fire breath?"

As a river dragon, I was able use either fire or ice in my breath. Rivers can be heated or cooled, so that gave me an advantage in comparison to other spirits. Basically, with the ability to exercise cold versus warmth, any spirit who inhabited a body of water had immense power. This would especially come in handy with "threathening" my comrade. She despised being frozen and yelped at too much heat, so she did whatever I told her to do. In these situations, it felt like I was her boss and not the other way around.

This time was no different. She let go of my arms and we both scrambled to our feet. My joints extended, my knees frayed, and I was sure that I had popped a knuckle when I balanced on a hand. My skin transformed into a rosy color where the indents from the dark planks collided. And my knees felt coarse. Once we were standing, I rubbed them in circles with a gentle manner. But my emerald gaze fell in Lin as she sweat dropped while she returned the expression with hints of surprise and guilt for hurting me. I strolled over a couple of steps to her. She put her right hand and stroked the opposing arm in embarrassment. Then she started rambling. "I'm sorry, Haku, I was just surprised about the possibility that my cousin could have her love returned. Are you sure Tarou loves her? Because she is like a sister to me since I am an only child. I don't want her to get hurt."

I let out a sigh that I didn't realize I was holding. My heart pounded slightly as I smiled in her direction. "I am sure," gazing at her warmly, "Remember that first night after Chihiro left eight years ago?" She looked to her left, her lips pursed. "You mean the night I got drunk and you had to take me to my bed?" I nodded. Lin stared back at me in question. "Yes. Well, after I had left your room, I saw Tarou at the end of the hall. And I can definitely tell you, he was and is so in love with her that he almost fell off of the balcony by his post had I not grabbed him." She frowned, wiping her brow. "What does Tarou falling off of a balcony have anything to do with her?" The woman could find anything to complain about. I groaned as I dropped my chin, hands running down my face. Shaking my head, I took a new footing and flailed my left hand in front of me. "He was staring longingly at her when she was getting a bath token from the foreman. Tarou got distracted enough to almost break a bone."

But before we could continue, a knocking gesture sent a shiver down my back. My friend, no, my sister as I considered her to be, stared over my shoulder as I turned my attention toward the doorway, arm dropping to my side. An elderly man stepped down the small stair, shaking with a clunk of his dress shoes. Lin went over to my right side, hand on her hip. Sweetly, she asked if there was anything he wanted. The steam cleared and the temperature cooled considerably as he got closer to us. It made me feel more comfortable, at ease. He was wearing a light gray business suit, with gold cuff links and white shoes. His skin was very wrinkled and brown in color. He also had white eyebrows and tufts of a hanging stringy beard of the same pasty tone. His smile gingered lightly over his face, a few teeth missing.

A deep, throaty voice echoed over to us as he staggered. "Excuse me, young woman, but I was wondering if a younger maiden was with you?" Lin and I looked at each other in bewilderment. Young maiden? Glancing back at the man, he surprisingly was a fast walker. It was only a couple of seconds, an extremely short time, and he already was a few feet away from us. I chose to respond. "I'm sorry, sir, but could I ask who you are speaking of because we are the only ones in charge of this bath this evening." The man just continued to gaze at Lin, smiling still as he spoke.

"I'm sorry, please forgive my rudeness. I remember you from my last visit here years ago. And I apologize for the mess that I caused. I am Kawa no Kami, that river spirit you had as a guest exactly eight years ago on this very night." I was confused, as I quickly understood that this was mainly between him and Lin. However, I intended to be involved. This concerned me for some reason and I didn't know why. The woman beside me marched in front, appearing quite a bit shocked. She looked back and forth in panic between the two of us. "What is it Lin? Are you alright?" She shut her eyes and lowered her head. But then she lifted it, sadness taking the place of her earlier shock. "That, that night, was why we celebrated with the meal, Haku. I'm sorry I didn't tell you why." I stared at her carefully and strode next to her again. "Why, Lin? Why did we celebrate?" I whispered.

She gulped rather difficultly. Tears were produced the corners of her eyes, a couple going past her chin. "We, we, we celebrated Chihiro's success. The one I told you about the first night we became friends, family." She then frowned as I smiled. However, I understood. The elder was looking for Chihiro. I sighed as I racked my head of hair, thinking of something to say to the generous spirit. I reared away. "Kawa no Kami, while I'm sure that your trip was not in vain, Chihiro is not here. She returned home to the human world a couple of days after you left, sir." I bowed in respect, my right hand covering the fist my left had made in front of my torso.

He just shook his head side to side as if he was rejecting my answer, which he was.

"Do you know why all of your customers are here tonight?" His expression never waned into sadness. The spirit was subtly cheerful, prompting me to reply. Standing upright, my eyebrow rose questioning. "No, but are you implying that it has something to do with that girl?"He just grinned more, his eyes shut closed as he walked backwards into the mist once more. But he didn't just disappear. He gave an answer.

"You see, The Kohaku River," surprising me because he knew my full name, "these guests of yours were the ones that witnessed Chihiro aiding me that night and when she left this world. She was here, quite recently in fact, which is why I came here this night. I was hoping that I could give her a gift. You can say all you want, but the young maiden has returned to our lands. Yet I'd expect that she would be here. Since that is not the case, I'd highly suggest you find her so that I may entrust her with my reward."

And with that he left.

Lin went for me and wrapped her clothed arm in my bare one. We looked to each other in silence for a minute. We didn't know what to believe. The heat rose again and the steam cleared away somewhat. My sister took the chance at words. "So, what do we do now? Should we believe him?" Her tone was evident with fret and suspicion. I shrugged. The spirit's words rang in my head, and I was debating on what to do. If Chihiro really had returned after all of this time, why didn't she find me first? What he said was true. I knew that, somewhere deep down I felt it. She was here. How come I couldn't sense her? Was it because of Kawa no Kami's appearance? I shook my head. No matter what happened, it was true. It was real.

I didn't bother to gaze at Lin, my focus being the door. "We are going to Zeniba's," I replied with a determination. My sister, although I couldn't bring myself to look at her just yet, didn't know who she was. So I gave her an explanation. "She is Yubaba's twin sister. And trust me on this. They are total opposites. She is far more generous than our boss." I had to still play the Yubaba-is-evil card. I hated it, but her past was for her to tell the staff, not me.

"Why are we going there? I mean I believe you, but why there? Why don't we just search the bathhouse?"

I heaved a sigh as I bore my eyes into hers finally, turning her so that my hands lay on her scrawny shoulders. "Because if Chihiro was here, Yubaba would have called for us because she would have been caught. If she wasn't then she would have tried finding you or me. Someone else would have told her or myself and you know it, Lin. The only other place she ever went to in our world was Zeniba's house. And if I'm right, Chihiro's there right now with her. If not, I'm sure the witch can locate her somehow."

_Just to make sure she is safe._


	12. Chapter 11

The Cure That Truly Haunts

Chapter Eleven

*For the record I do not own anything of Spirited Away

* And for the record, I really apologize for not updating in so long. I've had family situations going on, dealing with college stuff etc. So it has been extremely difficult for me to get back to this story. So all I ask is for some patience. And I sincerely apologize. And I mean REALLY apologize. I know it has been months since I've updated. And it might still be a struggle. But I do intend for this story to be finished!

Lin's soft hands rose upward to my stiffened hand, challenging to remove my wrists with her calm demeanor. Her russet eyes creased closed in such exasperation that she literally had to jerk my fingers away from the superior cloth. They lingered though as they began to glide toward her thin collarbone. Her neck shuddered faintly while lifting her gaze directly into my own. It was her air, her expression that I comprehended that my sister was becoming bodily marred since the greatness of our recent situation caused the tension to transmit into my claws. I didn't realize that my emotions affected me that badly.

Chin lowering further down her body, mainly going back and forth between her shoulders; it was obviously noticeable that I punctured her skin. Lips pursed, she glanced questioningly at the marks. Miniature blood stains permeated certain areas, causing the hue to turn into an ugly rosy mud color. My eyes expanded and I felt each muscle in my eyelids as they did so. And unfortunately, the increased humidity only caused the liquid's scent to escalate to my nose. The bitter iron taste entranced my throat in a disgusting fashion. My tongue once more rubbed the roof of my mouth as I stepped a few feet back toward the door.

The door where Kama no Kami just disappeared in his attempt to find Chihiro. And I knew this to be true, somewhere deep down in my conscience that I understood couldn't define a sense of factual knowledge. It was just there.

But I couldn't stop stuttering in the shock of what I had just committed toward Lin, even if it was a simple mistake. "I, I, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to do that, I, I swear." Honestly, there was a part of me that was betting on her using me as her next beat up doll. So I in turn also raised my arms. However, she never acted in retaliation. Instead her hands crossed over to the opposing shoulder continuously running over her bleeding skin in order to dry the remaining wounds. I noticed that they were small movements, and it only guaranteed for me that I owed her big time. I continued on rambling. "So if you forgive me I can order you a new worker shirt, or I can continue taking care of the bathtub while you go and get changed. I could also go down to Kamajii's and retrieve some medicinal herbs or," My head was wacked forward by her hand and I felt like I lost my voice for a moment. Hearing some strands of my hair ruffle, the left side of my jaw snapped in agony. It was subtle, but it still hurt.

My stare shut itself for a brief second as my hand went to pacify the twinge. I looked back up to seeing a small smile dignify her face. She put her attention on the squeaky floorboards for a moment, but then came so close to me that I had no thought for what would come out of her mouth. I figured that she would at least yell out that I was to blame and that I definitely had to make up to her. My head lowered a little, sort of like what a dog would do under their master. _Then again she is my boss. _However, she chose not to yell. She didn't treat me like a pet or a slave. It had nothing to do with the injuries. All it took was for her to return the action and placed her slender palm over my own shoulder again. It was gentle, and I could feel her skin as it toyed with the teal straps that hung over it. Every so often her fingertips would accidentally graze my neck by mistake. And it made me more focused on her when she obviously just wanted me to stay quiet. Before she even could return to her natural bantering, the only thing that she ever mustered in a whisper was the single thing that she deemed as a way to amend myself.

"All I want from you is to find Chihiro. She means more to me than any robe or medicine or anything else you think you can do for me. And I would be glad to keep the shirt." This left me confused. Why would Lin want some blood-spotted shirt that was conveniently destroyed by my hand? It made no sense. One of my thin eyebrows ascended as I frowned in the suspicion. My mouth felt dry and I had to cough to rid of the sensation. Fortunately I sounded as I normally would, so it never came as awkward. Or at least I prayed it didn't. Breathing in a fresh cool breeze from the several newly opened windows in the ceiling as they unlatched with a series of clicking noises, I asked, "Why do you want to keep the shirt Lin?"

At this she started to express amusement, tightening her hold on my shoulder which brought me to stumble and lean forward. It was a rough gesture, and it made me more at a loss. _Ok, what she said about Chihiro made sense, but to keep a blood-ridden shirt and to WANT to still have it in her possession is weird. Plus her laugh is creeping me out. _My arms rested on hers as a few stray tears fell down her face. That was all I could see of her as what her expression entailed had been covered over by her lengthy hair. Using my aching muscle strength, I shoved her off of me so that I was able to get a better look at her. She of course was only a few yards away from me as a result, her feet shifting to each other as her arms engulfed herself in a hug as she bended over. Her body was still shaking with giggles for a few minutes. And I felt an urge that she may have had some sake while she went to get our breakfast.

My right arm instinctively reached out to Lin. "Lin, are you alright?"It was a bold move for sure. On one hand she would calm down and bestow me an explanation. But in another condition, I may have to take her back to her room for the night. I was hoping that the first one would come true like a fairy tale or something. If I was alive, then it was a happy ending.

Then there continued to be that happy ending because her fits of laughter finally calmed down. I took a big sigh as my eyes glanced back at the door. No one was looking in on us nor did it seem that anyone noticed anything awkward going on in our area. It suddenly occurred to me. _Did anyone even notice that Kawa no Kami had come to find Chihiro? _They seemed to not have noticed Lin's insane cackling. They were all still working for their guests, running on the floor boards with tokens, filling up bathes, and providing to every spirit's wishes. I even saw a glimpse of Sayuri running to the bath across from us. Lin was still calming, so she didn't notice her cousin pass by. I grimaced in sadness for them. But my boss was utterly content at the moment.

She stood straight upwards again; one hand straightening out her clothing while the other wiped away her tears in a fist. Her smile never ceased, which for some reason aided my guilt. Maybe it was the fact that she was overjoyed at the possibility that her past assistant had returned. Or maybe it was the way I had apologized and cowered in fear of her. She did love feeling like she had the power in any given situation. But she wasn't dimwitted. Lin knew when a problem that needed solving was out of her control and that she would have to relinquish her attempts to help. Either way, I was relieved for awhile.

Hair flipping behind her back, she shuffled her feet outward as her gaze considerably brightened. Yet there was mischief in them, I could sense it. She was going to say something or do something that would embarrass me, I just knew it. Smiling wryly, she said, "Well, Haku, I am alright," she turned and began to walk out of the door indicating that I should follow her out even though we weren't done with our job with the bath. _But what is more important? Lin's probably thinking that we should find Chihiro now before she could possibly get hurt. She is more of a priority than cleaning some bath tub._ I quickly went down for my white shirt by the wall and let my feet carry me in her direction. Lin strutted with some grace, and I had no idea that she could even walk like that. I supposed it was a female thing. The yellow walls started to disappear as we made our way outside and onto the bridge.

The occasional employee would stare at us as we made our way through the extensive amount of crowded rooms, probably because I was the one who staggering behind her and not the other way around. It was to my fortune that no one stepped in my way. Sure for the most recent of years I have been degraded to working on the same level as the majority of the staff. However, since the time everyone saw me hovering in the air with Chihiro on our landing, they got the notion that I wasn't a spirit to be taken lightly. They understood that I had a dragon form, which out of fear made them not question me so much.

I appreciated the privacy I got when I truly needed it, but I had softened and perhaps even became friendlier. It was both a blessing and a disappointment. Spirits like Sayuri, Tarou, Kamajii, Clam, and Lin all warmed up to me or had done so before. Others were still nervous at what I was capable of doing. I dealt with each opinion of myself well, besides the hint of guilt I felt. Some had heard rumors of what went on in Yubaba's office when I was injured by her sister. They were worried about me, if I was emotionally stable to be here. I chose not to blame those comments because if an average employee was injured in their boss's office, they wouldn't want to stay. For me it was still the only home I had. Yubaba needed my help with her contract. And now with the news that Chihiro might have returned to our world…..I had to stay because first I had to get her past the sorceress and back to the tunnel.

Others still thought that I had hurt Chihiro up in the office. Even though the thought boiled in my blood of how they could even fathom that possibility, they were still right. I really came close to killing her. And if she was back like Kawa no Kami informed, I would do whatever I could to make it up to her in the long run, regardless of how much time I had with her - maybe a more meaningful departure with some truth to it since I didn't fully give it to her last time?

Chihiro was ten at the time, so it was very easy to lie to her. That was where my guilt ate me up. I had lied to her when I told her I would see her again. If it weren't for what happened tonight, I would still have believed that it was. It never crossed my mind that she could end up in the spirit world again because of the memory spell I had put on her – for good intentions of course. All I have to do is let her know that.

She saved my life and I saved hers. And I hope she can forgive me.


End file.
